This dissertation investigates multi-period salesforce incentive contracting. The first chapter is an overview of the problems as well as the main findings. The second chapter continues with a review of the related literatures. The third and fourth chapters address a central question in salesforce contracting: how frequently should a firm compensate its sales agents over a long-term horizon? Agents can game the long-term contract by varying their effort levels dynamically over time, as discussed in Chapter 3, or by altering between a “bold" action and a “safe" action dynamically over time, as discussed in Chapter 4. Chapter 3 studies multi-period salesforce incentive provisions when agents are able to vary their demand-enhancing effort levels dynamically. I establish a stylized agency-theory model to analyze this central question. I consider salespeople's dynamic responses in exerting effort (often known as “gaming"). I find that long time horizon contracts weakly dominate short time horizon contracts, even though they enable gaming by the agent, because they allow compensation to be contingent on more extreme outcomes; this not only motivates the salesperson more, but also leads to lower expected payment to the salesperson. A counterintuitive observation that my analysis provides is that under the optimal long time horizon contract, the firm may find it optimal to induce the agent to not exert high effort in every period. This provides a rationale for effort exertion patterns that are often interpreted as suboptimal for the firm (e.g., exerting effort only in early periods, often called “giving up"; exerting effort only in later periods, often called “postponing effort"). I also discuss the implication of sales pull-in and push-out, and dependence of periods (through limited inventory) upon the structure of the optimal contracting. Chapter 4 examines multi-period salesforce incentive contracting, where sales agents can dynamically choose between a bold action with higher sales potential but also higher variance, and a safe action with limited sales potential but lower variance. I find that the contract format is determined by how much the firm wants later actions to depend on earlier outcomes. Making later actions independent of earlier demand outcomes reduces agents' gaming, but it also reduces an agent's incentive to take bold actions. When the two periods are independent, an extreme two-period contract with a hard-to-achieve quota, or a polarized two-period contract allowing agents to make up sales, can strictly dominate a period-by-period contract, because they induce more bold actions in earlier periods by making later actions dependent on earlier outcomes. However, when the two periods are dependent through a limited inventory to be sold across two periods, the period-by-period contract can strictly dominate the two-period contract, by allowing the principal more flexibility in adjusting the contract.

The diffusion of sales force automation (SFA) systems has enabled a far more systematic approach to sales force management. This opens new avenues for the academic study of the industrial selling process as well: new arenas for investigation, new windows into salesperson behavior, and new methodological pitfalls. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a better understanding of SFA from an academic perspective, and then apply these insights to resolve gaps in our understanding of how sales forces behave and how they might be better managed. To do this, three areas of analysis are explored: methodological, behavioral, and theoretical.

The goal of this thesis is to explore the possibility on if it is possible to automate regression testing for a SaaS application with a serverless approach. The thesis covers the fundamentals of the software development lifecycle, cloud concepts, different types of testing frameworks, and SaaS applications. The report researches various testing tools that can be used in accordance with Polestar’s needs. The testing framework must run the existing tests and deliver the results of the tests. The system must be able to coexist with the testing strategy that is in place today. The result is a testing framework that can run a number of selected tests on the SaaS application Salesforce. The system was deployed with serverless docker containers through Amazon Web Services. The report also covers what a future implementation can look like and potential improvements. / Målet med denna avhandling är att undersöka om det går att automatisera regression testning för en SaaS-applikation med hjälp av ett serverlöst tillvägagångsätt. Avhandlingen täcker grunderna inom molnkoncept, mjukvaruutveckling, olika typer av testramverk och SaaS-applikationer. Avhandlingen går även igenom gamla arbeten som har gjorts inom området. Rapporten behandlar val av verktyg med åtanke på vad företaget Polestar har för    behov. Testramverket ska kunna utföra automatiska regressionstester på SaaS-applikationen Salesforce. Resultatet är ett testramverk som kan köra ett antal utvalda tester på Salesforce. Systemet driftsattes med hjälp av serverlösa Docker containrar på Amazon Web Services. Avhandlingen täcker även alternativa verktyg som kan användas för testautomation och även potentiella förbättringsmöjligheter.

Processer utgör en verksamhets förmåga att producera, vare sig det gäller produkter eller tjänster. För att IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB ska kunna optimera verksamheten eftersträvas att processtyrning implementeras i stället för linjestyrning. Därför har detta arbete haft som mål att undersöka mätetal och styrformer som är lämpliga att implementera inom processen för projektprocessen ur ett kvalitets-, tids- och kostnadsperspektiv. Primärdata för denna rapport tillhandahölls genom intervjuer med grupp-/enhetschefer samt medlemmar i ledningen medan sekundärdata baserades på litteraturstudier. För intervjuer beaktades tillförlitlighet, validering och reliabilitet medan litteraturstudier har beaktat publiceringsdatum, relevans och ämnesområden. Projektprocessen hos IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB består av tre huvudprocesser: “Säljprocessen”, “Genomföra och leverera” samt “Avslutning och utvärdering”. Resultaten av primärdata visar att samtliga mätetal och styrning sker på övergripande nivå, men för processtyrning så behövs mätetal och styrformer nedbrutet på delprocessnivå. Det är möjligt att uppnå processtyrning på delprocesnivå med hjälp av CRM-Systemet Salesforce som är nyligen implementerat i Säljprocessen och Avslutning och utvärderings-processen. Det upptäcktes även att Genomförande och leverans-processen saknade ett en tydigt projekthanteringssystem. Ur ett kvalitets-, tids- och kostnadsperspektiv tillför ett en tydigt projekthanteringssystem ökad projekteffektivitet och dataunderlag för mätning och förståelse för processerna. Sammanlagt rekommenderades 17 mätetal och 2 styrformer vilka agerar som underlag för ökad kundförståelse, bidrar till långsiktig förbättring av säljprocessen samt agerar som verktyg för beslutsunderlag. Slutgiltiga rekommendationer för vidare studier är att initiera en förstudie för ett en tydigt projekthanteringssystem. Vidare är frekvens en frågeställning som bör behandlas internt, där rekommendation görs att IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet AB har målvärdet att mäta och styra senast veckovis. / Processes make up the foundation for a company’s capability of producing, whether it is physical products or services. For IVL Swedish Environmental Institute AB to be able to optimize itself internally, process control needs to be implemented instead of traditional line control. Therefore, this project had the goal to research KPIs and control forms that are applicable within the processes from aquality-, time- and cost perspective. Primary data for this report was collected using interviews with Group Managers and members of the Management, while secondary data was collected using literature studies. For the interviews, reliability and validation were considered. Literature studies have taken publication dates-, relevance and subjectareas into account upon studying. The project processes at IVL Swedish Environmental Institute AB consists of three main processes: ”Sales Process”, ”Accomplishing and Delivering” and ”Concluding and Evaluating”. Results from the primary data show that all KPIs and forms of control occur on a general level. However, for process control there is a need for KPIs and forms of control on a subprocess-level. It is possible to achieve process control on a subprocess-level with assistance from the newly implemented CRM-System Salesforce, within the Sales-process and Concluding and Evaluating process. It was also discovered that the Accomplishing and Delivering process is lacking an unambiguous Project Management System. From a quality-, time- and cost perspective, such a system delivers increased internal project efficiency and a basis for data-collection for KPIs and understanding for the processes. In-total, 17 KPIs and 2 forms of control were recommended, which act as a foundation for improved customer relations, continuous improvement and as tools within decision models. Final recommendations for further studies are to initialize a pilot study for an unambiguous Project Management System. Furthermore, the topic of frequency of measurement is a matter that needs to bediscussed internally, where a recommendation is made for IVL Swedish Environmental Institute AB toset a target value to measure and control on a weekly basis.

Arkitektoniska beslut har ofta långvariga effekter på system. När beslut leder till ökad komplexitet, underhållbarhet och hämmad utvecklingshastighet, uppstår arkitektonisk teknisk skuld. Arkitektonisk teknisk skuld kan betraktas som mer relevant än någonsin i en tid där vi inte bara är mer beroende av våra informationssystem än någonsin, de är också mer komplexa än någonsin. Systemen fortsätter öka i skala och ny teknologi, såsom AI, tillkommer och blir snabbt en del av gemene mans vardagliga arbete. Arkitektoniska beslut fattas inte bara vid ett tidigt skede med dagens agila utvecklingsmetoder, utan kontinuerligt under iterationer. Detta kan leda till genvägar och därmed suboptimala arkitektoniska beslut, vilket i sin tur kan ge upphov till arkitektonisk teknisk skuld över tid. Denna masteruppsats om arkitektonisk teknisk skuld i en molnbaserad miljö är en fallstudie som undersöker organisationer verksamma inom CRM-systemet Salesforce, mer specifikt systemutveckling inom ramen för detta. Studien undersöker organisationernas uppfattning och hantering av fenomenet, men även hur deras attityder och risktagande ser ut vid arkitektoniska beslut. Studien presenterar tidigare forskning om teknisk skuld, den finansiella metaforen av Ward Cunningham, arkitektonisk teknisk skuld, en kategori av teknisk skuld, och använder två teoretiska ramverk: en deskriptiv modell för att tolka arkitektonisk teknisk skuld och en analytisk modell som kategoriserar teknisk skuld enligt Fowlers kvadranter, med en arkitektonisk tappning. Resultatet består av en empirisk insamling där dokumentation från Salesforce presenteras och åtta respondenter med olika roller har intervjuats. Studien visar att det råder skillnader i hur organisationer hanterar arkitektonisk teknisk skuld beroende på uppdragsgivarens roll och förståelse, att det finns utmaningar med att få hantering av arkitektonisk teknisk skuld prioriterad, samt att det råder både vårdslösa och eftertänksamma attityder. / Architectural decisions often have long lasting effects on information systems, when these decisions lead to increased complexity, maintainability, and inhibited development speed, architectural technical debt arises. Architectural technical debt can be considered more relevant than ever in an age where we are not only more dependent on our information systems than ever, they are also more complex than ever. The systems continue to increase in scale and new technology, such as AI, is added and quickly becomes part of the everyday work of the average person. Architectural decisions are made not only once at an early stage with today’s agile development methods, but continuously during iterations. This can lead to shortcuts and thus suboptimal architectural decisions, which in turn can create architectural technical debt over time. This master’s thesis on architectural technical debt in a cloud-based environment is a case study that examines organizations operating within the CRM system Salesforce, more specifically system development within this framework. The study examines the organizations' perception and management of the phenomenon, but also what their attitudes and risk-taking look like in architectural decisions. The study presents previous research on technical debt, the financial metaphor of Ward Cunningham, and architectural technical debt, a category of technical debt, and uses two theoretical frameworks: a descriptive model to interpret architectural technical debt and an analytical model that categorize technical debt according to Fowler’s quadrants, with an architectural angle. The result consists of an empirical collection where documentation from Salesforce is presented and eight respondents with different roles have been interviewed. The study shows that there are differences in how organizations handle architectural technical debt depending on the client's role and understanding, that there are challenges with getting handling of architectural technical debt prioritized, and that there are both reckless and prudent attitudes.

The desire for digital marketing has rapidly grown. The consequence of this has been an increased supply of digital marketing software providing the desired tools. This leads to a need for different types of software, where both enterprise platforms and minor one’s have risen. Both types come with opportunities and disadvantages, which need to be taken into account when deciding digital marketing software. The purpose of this study is to assist companies in choosing the correct digital marketing software that meet their needs. The research focus on clarifying what differs an enterprise software from a minor one. The research is based on company needs, where time consumption, cost, integration complexity and software functionality have been analyzed. A case study has been performed at the company Improove AB. The case study contained a literature study, interviews and an experiment. With these methods a lot of data could be collected, which consequently led to a thorough analyzation. In the end, it was found that a minor marketing software is severely less time consuming. An enterprise software is more expensive, and it is in addition more complex to integrate than a minor marketing software. The enterprise marketing software triumphs when it comes to provided functionality, both regarding supply and possible configurations. With this knowledge it was determined that it is almost always preferred to integrate a minor marketing software, instead of an enterprise software. The reason for this is mainly that the integration complexity increases the time consumption, which increases the cost. Another reason is that it is crucial that the company using the digital marketing software takes advantage of all provided functionality, which they rarely do. From the research it is possible to make educated decisions when deciding between digital marketing platforms. Whether an enterprise software is preferred or if a company should instead settle with a minor software is further explain in the thesis report.

The literature emphasizes the important role played by stakeholder perceptions in explaining success and failure of IT-enabled change efforts. However, our knowledge of how stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during change processes is still limited. Consequently, this study adapts technological frames of reference (TFR) to explore the dynamics of stakeholder perceptions based on action research into an IT-enabled sales process innovation project at VoiceTech. The study attempts to answer the following research questions: How can TFR be adapted and applied to support action research into IT-enabled change efforts? What was the role of stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech? How do stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during IT-enabled change efforts? The study develops TFR as a theory for investigating stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled change and it offers a process model of how frame interactions, incongruencies, and inconsistencies contribute to frame shifts and change outcomes over time. In addition, the study provides detailed insights into how the IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech shaped and was shaped by shifts in stakeholder perceptions over time.

This dissertation explores the role of capacities of different sets of actors and examines some of the consequences of realization of these capacities. Specifically, the two outcomes examined in this dissertation are coopetition, which is simultaneous cooperation and competition, and innovation. This research uses different contexts and multiple methods to understand and explore the role of capacities in varied outcomes. The first essay examines the effect of actor capacities on coopetition. It looks at cosmetics salespeople in department stores that are embedded in relations with the store and the cosmetics brands among others, and examines the effect of this embeddedness on cooperative or competitive responses of these salespeople. Specifically, this research posits that actors, both human and non-human, possess capacities to interact with other actors. Unless the interaction occurs, the capacity merely remains a potential, and is only realized in interaction. Capacities represent the joint agency of interacting actors or entities. Both individual actors and collectives possess capacities to interact with others. Capacities of actors and collectives determine the processes employed by these actors that help integrate the collective or disintegrate it, thereby dynamically influencing the balance between cooperation and competition among sales people. The second essay examines the capacities of inventors in Biotechnology industry and investigates innovation as an outcome of realization of their capacities. This essay specifically focuses on actor capacities and its outcomes in the event of an acquisition. It posits that potential relational capacities of inventors prior to an acquisition determines whether integration among inventors will happen at the time of the acquisition. In addition, this research studies the effect of inventor integration at the time of acquisition on innovation outcomes of the acquiring firm, four years from the time of acquisition.

The literature emphasizes the important role played by stakeholder perceptions in explaining success and failure of IT-enabled change efforts. However, our knowledge of how stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during change processes is still limited. Consequently, this study adapts technological frames of reference (TFR) to explore the dynamics of stakeholder perceptions based on action research into an IT-enabled sales process innovation project at VoiceTech. The study attempts to answer the following research questions: How can TFR be adapted and applied to support action research into IT-enabled change efforts? What was the role of stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech? How do stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during IT-enabled change efforts? The study develops TFR as a theory for investigating stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled change and it offers a process model of how frame interactions, incongruencies, and inconsistencies contribute to frame shifts and change outcomes over time. In addition, the study provides detailed insights into how the IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech shaped and was shaped by shifts in stakeholder perceptions over time.

This thesis focuses mainly on the analysis and implementation of a CRM system into a non-profit organization. Main aims of the thesis are first introduction into the issue of CRM and fundraising and then implementation of a particular CRM system into a real non-state non-profit organization. The thesis has been made in cooperation with another student, who has been engaged in the analysis of the process of choice of a CRM system, while this thesis presents the implementation of the certain system. The theoretical part of this thesis deals with the theory concerning fundraising and CRM, where also common aspects of those two topics have been mentioned. In contrast with the theoretical part, the practical part deals with the implementation of a selected CRM system into a certain non-profit organization. The theoretical part is also expanded with a research in works concerning similar topic. The main contribution of this piece of work will be the implementation of a CRM system into a foundation, where it will be used as one of the main tools supporting fundraising of the organization.